thank you to NetGalley for giving me the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I could not get into this book, the book cover and description give a much more romance light hearted vibes, this was not that.
it was very slow. it took a really long time for any of the plot to happen. it took around 60 pages for the plot to begin. the pacing was also a little odd. months would pass and i wouldn’t realize it but then scenes would drag on.i had a hard time getting into the book because of that. also both main characters are a bit entitled and hard to like. James is more so enjoyable and likeable.

Song of the book: Talk to You - Ricky Montgomery

This book is not for the faint of heart. This book is for the slow-burn warriors (read: me) who can handle hundreds of pages of yearning over 15+ years. This is what romance novels should be!

I really enjoyed this book. It’s such a fantastic debut from Tessa Bickers. I am already so genuinely excited to see anything she writes next. The Book Swap was a lovely combination of romance and literary fiction. Don’t be fooled by the cover; it was definitely more serious than a typical romantic comedy (I’m hesitant to even call it a “romantic comedy,” but not in a bad way). It dealt a lot with themes of grief and mental illness. The main characters have hurt each other deeply and have a long relationship that has been interrupted by over a decade of hate (mostly one-sided). There were definitely times while I was reading that I was wondering how they could get to a point of forgiveness. Nevertheless, they did!!

I’m also so unbelievably psyched that this was a two-person love triangle. That is very much my favorite trope. For all my You’ve Got Mail lovers, you need to pick up this book immediately. I promise you’ll adore it. Bickers did such a great job with the interactions between Erin and James through their book exchanges. I had only read one of the books they discussed, and I still enjoyed it. Most of their non-epistolary interactions take place in the past, as they don’t see each other in-person often during the book, given that Erin really resents James for something he did in high school.

One thing that bothered me about this book was that they discussed The Perks of Being a Wallflower a bit too much. I liked that book plenty, but it’s a pet peeve of mine when modern pop culture is featured in a book. I know that one isn’t too recent, but with the amount it was brought up, I was a little annoyed.

Another thing that annoyed me until I realized that I was actually the stupid one was the book formatting. The margins were so wide and there was always a blank page after every chapter. I thought it was weird, but then I realized the whole point is to give someone room to write in the margins and on the blank pages!! I am not longer annoyed and instead find that adorable. Forgive me for judging too harshly.

Overall, I highly recommend this book! It’s one of the best romances I’ve read in a while. I hope it gets a lot of well-deserved praise once it’s officially published in September.

I enjoyed the book. A few times I thought it was slightly drawn out and I didn't love Erin or James they were both pretty entitled but they released it and that made them likable enough

"The Book Swap" highlights the power of reading and how it can help heal and bring people together. This story follows the relationship of Erin and James beginning in adolescence into adulthood. When we meet Erin, she recently quit her job and is struggling with grief after losing her best friend 3 years earlier. Meanwhile, James is spliting his time between London working at a job he doesn't love and returning home to help take care of his mother during her bipolar episodes. After Erin unintentionally donates "To Kill a Mockingbird" to her local free library with a final note from her best friend which she is desperate to get back, she returns to the library for days hoping whoever borrowed the book will return it. To Erin's delight her book is returned and there are responses to all her notes she left in the margins. Erin and James renew their friendship through books and in doing so learn about forgiveness, love, and finding passion again in life.

This book gave me all the feels. James' story was particularly heartbreaking at times. Erin's journey was messy and there were moments when I wanted to tell her to stop being so self-centered, but out of those experiences came growth. I finished reading this book at my favorite wine bar with some big tears and I couldn't have picked a better place to finish this beautiful story.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Tessa Bickers for this ARC. I am so excited see what Tessa comes up with next!

thank you to NetGalley for giving me the arc in exchange for an honest review!

i unfortunately did not like this💀

it was very slow. it took a really long time for any of the plot to happen. it took around 60 pages for the plot to begin. the pacing was also a little odd. months would pass and i wouldn’t realize it but then scenes would drag on. a wish that there was a little less characters because it was so confusing who was who and their relevance to the story.

i thought The Book Swap was advertised and the cover looked like a romance but it was more literary. i had a hard time getting into the book because of that.

i did really like James though! i thought he was really sweet. he cared a lot about his family and it was very admirable. i did love the book exchanges. it was such an unique premise and i really enjoyed when we got to the part about the margin annotations.

This book caught me by surprise, as it was not the light hearted beach read I expected based on the title and cover. This was a deep and connected story of friendship, family, mental illness, forgiveness, grief, self discovery and ultimately, a love of reading. This story follows the lives of two parted friends who unknowingly find their way back to each other through their love of literature. This was a unique and compelling story that held my attention and curiosity throughout. If you're looking for a lighthearted read, this isn't it, but it's definitely a great first novel from this new author!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC.
I really wanted to like this book. A romance built via a free little library?! I have a soft spot for romance building through messages and/or books, but unfortunately, this one was difficult to get through.

The story has potential, but Bickers chooses too many big tropes/themes that most of them are simply not followed through.

The book reads like a mixture of dramatic reactions and rushed cut scenes.

I can't give this a 3 star, but I feel guilty for selecting 2 as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bickers and Harlequin Trade Publishing for giving me a chance to read this early for an honest review. This book was absolutely wonderful. The characters felt so real. They were complicated and complex and relatable. I really rooted for Erin and James and their friends and family. I also loved the way books were brought into the story. I believe many readers will appreciate that aspect of the story too. I do wish there were some trigger warnings for death/grieving and bullying but that is a minor thing.

This was not what I expected at all; at first, I was worried I would give up on it. The timeline confused me and I couldn't get over how the two characters didn't face to face interact until 3/4 of the way through. What James went through was awful, and Erin's embarrassment was mortifying. I could easily see why she iced him out for so long. All in all, it was a nice read that demonstrated the grief of losing someone you consider a soulmate, and I appreciated Erin's journey in letting go of Bonnie.

I did not like this that much. It was an interesting concept, however, the characters really irritated me. I understand that they were both going through a lot, but they blamed every other person in their life for their problems instead of accepting responsibility or trying to improve their life. It seemed like they didn’t really learn to improve, the author just had to wrap up the book. Honestly, I wasn’t really rooting for them to get together. I think they would’ve been better as friends. The ending of them getting together felt rushed and it didn’t really feel like they wanted to be together, it was just convenient.

My expectations for this one led me astray. there was barely any romance. it was definitely a slow burn, I'll tell you that. I will not spoil the reason that the two characters had a previous major tiff, but I will say it was not a good enough reason to justify such a response.

It was very heavy on grief and loss, which I don't inherently mind. I actually prefer when my romances have deeper themes in them. however, what I did not love was the weird hallucination/magical realism moment that occurred.

I really did not connect with the main character, and honestly I found her insufferable.

I really wanted to like this book, but I had trouble connecting with the characters. It took me forever to get through, . This book was not as much of a romance as I wanted it to be. This book covers topics of bullying, family issues, terminal illness and death, and even toxic workplaces.

3.5⭐️
✔️nods to classic literature
✔️slow burn romance
✔️heavy themes of grief, bullying and mental illness
✔️dual POV
I had the privilege of receiving an ARC of “The Book Swap” by Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley! I have to start this review by saying this was a great debut novel for Tessa Bickers!

Going into this book I was expecting a cute and cheesy romance. The Book Swap is NOT a flowery rom com. There are strong themes of battling grief and bullying throughout the novel.

Erin(FMC) loses her favorite book To Kill a Mockingbird, which also houses her best friend’s last note to her. When the book finally turns up, it has been annotated by a “mystery man”. He also invites her to continue their book notes in other classic novels, shared through a book swap. Thus beginning our characters (re)connection. I thought the storyline premise was well thought out and written. My only issue was my inability to connect with the FMC. There is something about Erin that just didn’t resonate with me as a character. I empathize with her struggles but couldn’t relate to her in any real way. So it made it hard for me to root for her. Though we get lots of mentions about Bonnie(deceased friend) her character still felt foreign, which also made it hard for me to feel the impact of her loss.

All-in-all The Book Swap was a good read for anyone who loves classic literature and a slow burn romance! Happy Reading!💗

This novel was deeper and covered more ground than I expected. Based on the premise, I was expecting a light rom com but there was a lot more here - grief, trauma, bullying among others. In between the book note romance in the little library, characters deal with big life decisions. I held back tears on a plane reading this story and truly enjoyed the read.

The Book Swap is a slow burn with an engaging plot but I felt the characters needed a little more depth. However, it is easy to connect with the characters and find joy and magic in the storytelling.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m very indifferent about this book. It quite literally was the slowest burn I have ever read. I’m talking the couple doesn’t become a couple until the last 3 pages, so we don’t get to see much of them as a couple AT ALL, which I do not like. The characters were good and I liked the concept the book swapping, making them fall in love, but the fact that there was nothing after they got together, just really kind of ruined the book for me. It was so much build up for nothing. It’s actually disappointing to me.
Overall, an okay read. Good characters, with a good concept, but just a poor ending.

I think the premise of this book is a very engaging one, but I also feel like these characters needed a bit more depth to make their sadness/grief more relatable and believable. What’s more is it’s hard to follow how they’re falling in love, rather than just supporting one another over a shared bad experiences sometimes I felt as though the extreme detail detracted from the story, rather than setting the scene and helping me to feel more deeply. That said, I do think that Ms. Bickers shows a lot of promise and just a good solid editor can reshape this to fine tune it into a great book.

"The Book Swap" by Tessa Bickers is a delightful journey through the magic of storytelling and the power of human connection. Bickers weaves a heartwarming tale of friendship, community, and the transformative impact of books. As the characters embark on their book-swapping adventures, readers are treated to a charming exploration of different genres, perspectives, and emotions. With its cozy setting and endearing cast, "The Book Swap" is a celebration of the joy found in sharing stories and the bonds that form over a shared love of literature.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin for sending me this advance reader copy. I truly loved and enjoyed this book.

The Book Swap pulled me in from the beginning and kept me enthralled through the entire book. The way Tessa portrays mental illness and grief is beautifully done. Her characters and experiences are relatable, and really portrays what changes you experience in your 30’s.

If you are expecting a lighthearted romance, this is not it. If you’re wanting to experience all the feels, then this is the book for you. Erin and James are both struggling with their own past and are struggling to move forward. It is fate that brings these old friends back together after the loss of their friend Bonnie. I really loved the growth in this book with the characters and the emotions felt, experiences of what they’ve gone through, and the second chance at love.

Definitely looking forward to more books by Tessa

**this book depicts death, grief, bullying, verbal abuse, and severe mental illness, if any of this topics are triggering, please do not read. You’re mental health matters.**

5/5📚💌 I. AM. OBSESSED. WITH. THIS. BOOK.
i want to thank @ for allowing me to read her ARC, i am forever grateful!

short summary:
erin and james are estranged, childhood friends that reconnect through a little library and their individual healing journeys.
after accidentally giving away a well-loved book (with notes in the margins) during a marie-condo styled clean out of her room, erin rushes back to where she thinks she left it- the little library down the street. in finding it, she also realizes that someone else has answered her notes, AND has asked her to meet her in another book, Great Expectations. from there, the book swap starts and little does erin know, that her most hated frenemy is the one behind the pages.

things i loved:
💌the writing, man, tessa writes some beautiful, introspective quotes. there were so many times i wished i had the physical copy so i could underline or highlight.
💌erin & james’ growth- though they each lost someone they loved, they were able to use their newly founded (mystery) relationship to help them heal from that, while also creating a connection.
💌THAT HAPPY ENDING- tessa had me scared there for a moment but man, oh MAN WAS IT WORTH IT.
💌the book lover plot- finding the man you love through the pages of a book has got to be one of the most romantic things ever.

something to note, i do wish there was a bit more romance, in person, between the two of them. but i also kind of understand why the author kept them apart for as long as she did- especially because erin was still learning how to heal and james needed time to rediscover himself w/out the burden of his parents.

do I recommend? 10000000% yes- and if you read it & love it, pls lmk so we can cry together.

💌notes:
-a path of rediscovery
-friends turned enemies to lovers
-healing journey
-bff dies from cancer
-both have issues w parents and are trying to find themselves in the midst of pain